The number of business jets delivered in 2018 rose 3.8%, according to GAMA, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, in a report released last week.

In total, 703 aircraft were delivered, 26 more than in 2017. The main highlights were the Pilatus PC-24 jet, which debuted with 18 deliveries last year, and the small SF-50 Vision, the only single-engine jet on the market that jumped from 22 to 63 deliveries.

Coincidence or not, the Very Light Jets category fell 27%. Models such as the Phenom 100 and HondaJet accounted for almost half of that fall.

On the other hand, the category of Light Business Jets was the one that expanded the most in 2018 with 149 deliveries. The best-selling jet was Embraer Phenom 300, but its sales were virtually stagnant. Among medium-sized aircraft, a slight drop of 3% while large models remained stable.

Pilatus PC-24

Cessna in the lead

Regarding industry participation, Cessna remains the leader in deliveries with 26.7% of the total, followed by Bombardier, which fell slightly (from 20.4% to 19.5%).

Gulfstream (17.2% versus 17.7% in 2017) and Embraer came next, but the Brazilian manufacturer lost a lot of space by seeing its deliveries drop 17% – 91 aircraft compared to 109 two years ago.

Vision placed Cirrus in 5th place, taking the place of Dassault, another that lost share (5.8%). Honda, though a leader in its category, delivered six fewer aircraft than in 2017, ending the year with only 5.3 percent of total sales. Pilatus debuted with a 2.6% stake.